The Argentine, who has made a favourable impression at Southampton since succeeding Adkins in January, wants to make club-record summer signing Dani Osvaldo the fulcrum of the attack.

Southampton believe they can maximise Lambert’s value by selling him in January, a month before his 32nd birthday, rather than wait until next summer when his price tag will have diminished.

West Ham would be expected to be among the clubs interested in signing the England international, who signed a contract extension in March that runs until the summer of 2016.

It would be regarded as a risky move by Southampton to sell Lambert as he is a firm favourite of supporters after playing a central role in consecutive promotions and then helping preserve the club’s Premier League status following their return to the top flight last season.

The 31-year-old has scored 104 goals in 201 appearances for the club since joining from Bristol Rovers in 2009 and made an immediate impact for the national team when he was called up to the England squad last month, scoring in his first two matches against Scotland and Moldova.

He had played every minute of Southampton’s league season, which had yielded a single goal, until he was substituted with 24 minutes remaining of the convincing 1-0 victory at Liverpool last weekend.

Osvaldo has also started the Saints’ last three matches but has yet to open his scoring account for his new employers.